Woman indicted in US for attempted drowning of Muslim child

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - A woman in the state of Texas was charged with “attempted capital murder” for trying to drown a three-year-old Palestinian Muslim girl in May, CBS News reported Wednesday.

Elizabeth Wolf, 42, was indicted by a Tarrant County grand jury with “attempted capital murder and bodily injury to a child under 10,” with an additional hate crime enhancement, according to the news outlet.

Wolf was indicted last month with a hate crime enhancement, according to court records on Tuesday.​​​​​​​

The charges stem from allegations that Wolf tried to drown the girl at a swimming pool, who was with her mother who was wearing a hijab.

Wolf also tried to pull the victim’s 6-year-old brother into the water but he managed to pull free, suffering only a scratch to his nose.

Authorities said the incident began when Wolf questioned the mother's country of origin and that escalated into the attacks on the children.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) demanded earlier this year that the case be prosecuted as a hate crime.

Officials, including Texas State Representative Salman Bhojani, expressed support for the victim’s family, condemned the attack and stressed the need for justice.

The defendant has not publicly commented on the developments.